Kristiansand is the capital of Vest-Agder County, Norway. By population, it is the fifth largest city of Norway. The city is sometimes called Kristiansand S, where S stands for South, to distinguish it from Kristiansund in western Norway.

Understand

Kristiansand is located on Norway’s southern coast and has long been a favourite summer holidays spot amongst Norwegians. The sea and surrounding fjords are perfect for recreational activities like fishing and sailing. Kristiansand is the business and cultural capital of Southern Norway. Nicknamed “the coolest riviera” by the media, it is a modern city with a cosmopolitan history[26].

The name

The city was named after its founder King Christian IV in 1641.

The name was written "Christian(s)sand" (for "Christians sand" - meaning en:(King) "Christian's Sand") until 1877. Then, the ch was changed to k, the form was changed to "Kristianssand". The name was again changed to its present form Kristiansand in 1889.

Get in

By plane

Kjevik Airport (IATA: KRS) is located 12 km (7 mi) north-east of the city.
SAS [27] runs 8 daily flights to Oslo, 6 to Bergen and 3 to Stavanger, as well as 3 daily flights to Copenhagen and a weekly flight to Alicante. Norwegian [28] runs 3 daily flights to Oslo, as well as some weekley flights to Bergen and Trondheim. Planes from Dutch airline KLM depart twice daily for Amsterdam.
There are bus connections to the town centre for every arrival, both airport buses and local buses. The airport bus costs kr 80, kr 120 return. Local buses are to the left as you exit. No 35 and 36 to city centre Kvadraturen is kr 37 (Jun 08). Taxi to Kvadraturen is kr 280/350 in weekends.

By train

Regional trains connect Kristiansand to other cities and towns along the Southern Railway Line (Sørlandsbanen). Up to 8 trains daily depart for Stavanger, while up to 6 daily trains leave for the country's capital, Oslo. The trip to Stavanger takes about 3 hours and the trip to Oslo between 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Trains both westwards towards Stavanger and eastwards to Oslo follow an inland route, meaning that travel to the towns along the coast is quite inconvenient by train. There are lots of nice forest views and rural settlements, though.
The train station[29] is situated right next to the town centre, the ferry terminal, and the bus terminal.

By car

Kristiansand sits along the E18 highway from Oslo. The highway changes its name to E39 when it passes Kristiansand on its way to Stavanger. Route 9 starts in Kristiansand and takes you through the natural beauty of the Setesdal Valley to Haukeligrend on the Hardangervidda (Hardanger Plateau).

By bus

The bus-connections to Oslo and the towns along the western shore of the Oslo Fjord is excellent. Nor-Way Bussexpress [30] has 9 daily connections to Oslo, Konkurrenten.no[31] 4-7 buses while Lavprisekspressen runs twice daily. You are guaranteed a seat - if the bus is full, the bus company will add an extra bus. Lavsprisekpressen[32] provides online ticketing only.
These express busses are usually just as fast as the trains to Oslo. To towns such as Larvik, Tønsberg and Sandefjord you might arrive several hours later if you go by train.
There's also infrequent express bus connections to Stavanger and up along the Setesdal, with connections to cities such as Bergen and Haugesund. Regional buses run frequently along the coast, from Lyngdal and Lista in the west to Arendal in the east, run by several different bus companies.
The bus terminal is located about 100 meters from the main shopping street, right next to the ferry terminal and the train station. There's also a taxi stand here.

By boat

Ferry company Color Line [33] operate car ferries to Denmark, 2 times each day (3 times on Saturday - Monday) to Hirtshals. The trip takes 3 hours and 15 minutes, with the brand new superspeed ferry services the route[34]. Prices soar in the summer.

The port has a lot of cruise ship arrivals in the summer, and is one of the biggest cruise ship ports in Norway. From the cruise ship port, is a walking distance to city centre and the boardwalk, the bus terminal, the ferry terminal and the railway station[35].

City of Kristiansand

Get around

Nettbuss Sør operates the blue city buses. Eastbound buses depart from the Henrik Wergeland street, while westbound buses depart from the Tollbod street or the bus terminal, but not both. Northbound buses (to Vennesla) leave from the bus terminal.
The main lines going from west to east is called the Metro bus. You can expect a bus every 5 minutes on weekdays. Service elsewhere is quite frequent during daylight hours, but the frequency drops significantly in the evenings and on weekends. Night buses operate Fridays and Saturdays.
The town's center is quite compact, which means that everything is within walking distance. Suburbs are spread over quite a large area. There are dedicated bike lanes along most of the main roads.
Most roads except the highway is just one lane each way - thus rush hour should be avoided. Parking might be difficult in the city centre, try the parking houses. There's a toll booth on all roads leading to town.

Taxi

Taxis are expensive.
In Kristiansand, there are two major Taxi Companies:

See

Fiskebrygga, Kristiansand.

Fiskebrygga (Fish market), (Southwestern part of the town centre Kvadraturen.), [1]. There is still a fish market here, but there are also several, mostly maritime, restaurants around the central waterfront. During summer, locals arrive in their boats and anchor up here. Lovely place for an ice cream.

The boardwalk (Strandpromenaden) alongside the seafront in the town centre leads you threw beauteful parks and pases Norways second largest fountain park, Christiansholm fortress from the 17th century and a public beach - Bystranda, the Town Beach[38].

Kristiansand Dyrepark (Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park), (East of the town), [2]. Has a wide selection of animals in, for the most part, natural habitats. The main attractions are lions, tigers, wolves, red pandas, and a reptile house. Other activities here include a log run, a large play area, and a pirate castle with Norway's favorite pirate, Kaptein Sabeltann (Captain Sabretooth). During the summer, there are pirate shows late at night. There's also a kind of toy town called Kardemomme by (Cardamom town) which is based on a book by Norwegian children's writer Thorbjørn Egner.Adults: kr 130-kr 340, Children: kr 110-kr 270 (depending on season) Once inside, all activities are free.

Posebyen is what's left of Kristiansand's old town. It still occupies several blocks on the eastern part of the town centre. Here you can still see small, white, single-storey, wooden houses occupy a whole block. Very peaceful just a few minutes' walk from the busy shopping streets[39].

Vest-Agder Museum Kristiansand is an open-air-museum that consists of a mainbuilding and about 40 other buildings, collected from the counties of Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder and Kvaderaturen, Kristiansand`s old town. In the museum, you will also find miniature models of Kristiansand from late 19th century and a cafè[40].

Ravnedalen (Ravens' Valley) is a lovely park just outside the city centre. It is surrounded with steep cliffs and presents the visitor with lush flower gardens and manicured laws perfect for picnics. If you forgot your picnic basket, there's also a café here. There are sometimes music performances in the summer[41].

Kristiansand Cannon Museum, [3]. 3Feb-11May: Su:Noon-4PM, 18May-11Jun: M-W:11Am-3PM, Th-Su:11AM-5PM, 12Jun-17Aug: Daily: 11AM-6PM, 18Aug-28Sep: M-W:11Am-3PM, Th-Su:11AM-5PM, 5Oct-30Nov: Su:Noon-4PM. Here you will find the world's second largest cannon ever to be mounted on land. Mounted by the occupying German forces in 1940 to guard the shipping lanes of the Skagerak.

Agder Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden and Gimle Gård are two museums, located at Gimle, east of river Otra. In the natural history museum and botanical garden you will find a collections of flora, examples of the fauna and minerals of South Norway in very lifelike exhibitions and rich minerals deposits[42]. Gimle gård is a former mansion, now a museum.

Kristiansand Cathedral in the Neo-Gothic style, by the square in the very center of town is one of the largest cathedrals in Norway. Beautiful inside and worth visiting[43].

Sørlandet's Art Museum (2 minutes walk from the cathedral) is the town's art gallery with permanent and changing exhibitions[44].

Do

Forests: In Kristiansand, there are many forests, never more than a short walk away. Near the town center are the areas Baneheia[[45]] and Odderøya[[46]], perfect for walking recreation or winter activities at winter time[47].

Even if Kristiansand recieves litle snow at winter time, there is popular ski-lift in Tveit, not far from the airport[[48]]

Swiming: Do not forget your swimwear, swimming possibilities are many, outdoors and indoors, in saltwater or freshwater, swimmingpools, beaches and rocks.

The beautiful archipelago off Kristiansand (Skjærgården) consists of amazing landscapes, a paradise of islands, skerries, and rocks. In the summer time, you can reach it by sight-seeing-boats from the town centre. The archipelago and the surrounding fjords is also a perfect setting for sailing and fishing

Fishing: If you fish in the rivers in the area, you must purchase a fishing license. The rivers are rich in fish like salmon and trout. If you like to fish in the sea and deep sea fishing, there are good opportunities for that in the Kristiansand area[49].

Play golf: In Kristiansand, there are two golf clubs with their own courts, both a few kilometers outside the city centre, Bjåvann[50] and Kristiansand Golfklubb[51] No reason to let the golf equipment be left at home!

Until 2007, Kristiansand was the site of the Quart Festival, a multi-day music festival - the largest of its kind in Norway. Other festivals have come and after selling only 2000 tickets for the 2008 event, the festival was cancelled. In 2009, the festival is once again in full swing with bigger and bands tipped to play. The management has changed back to people that had previously made the festival a big success.

Learn

University of Agder has its main campus at Gimlemoen just east of the town centre. The new campus was built at an old military camp, and the new building was finished in 2001. There are programs in nursing, teaching, languages, psychology, literature and arts, music, sports and health, mathematics and similar subjects, law, economics, social work and politics. Just a few of the classes are taught in English[53].

There's also music education (both classical and pop/rock) at Musikkens hus (House of Music) in the town center.
There's also several small, private higher education schools, among them a Christian journalism school at Gimlekollen and a local departement of BI Norwegian Business School (programs for master and bachelor degree).

Buy

Markens gate is the main shopping street in the town center. Most of the street is pedestrianized. Most of the shops are now chain stores, but it is still a busy and nice main shopping street. A few independent stores are still here. It's a central gathering place for most locals, and thus more than a shopping street.

Sørlandssenteret, Barstølveien 31, ☎+47 38049100 ([email protected], fax: +47 38049200), [4]. M-F: 10AM-9PM, Sa: 10AM-6PM. Is located about 10 minutes' drive east of town, in a industrial area. It is just a run-of-the-mill shopping center, but can be a godsend for shopping when the weather turns nasty.

Splurge

Pieder Ro, Gravane 10, ☎+47 38100788 (fax: 47 38100803). M-F: 11:30AM-11PM, Sa: 4PM-11PM, Su: 1PM-11PM. Serves very nice fish dishes as well as the more traditional norwegian dishes, excellent quality and very nice location just southwest of the city center at the small harbour area near the fish market.

Drink

Victoria Pub, Markens gate 19b, ☎+47 38074890, [7]. English style pub in a courtyard from the main street

Kick, Dronningens gate 8, ☎+47 38028330, [8]. Nightclub and stage in the heart of the city

Bakgården Bar, Tollbodgata 5, ☎+47 38021211, [9]. Pub ("både &") and bar in the backyard next to each other

Harvey's Sportsbar, Tollbodgata 4 (Next to Bakgården), ☎+47 38 07 23 05, [10]. 16-03. A popular american sportsbar, with a wide range of hamburgers and live sports. A crowded place during the weekends and Thursday nights (2 for 1).

Sleep

Camping

Set up your tent or rent a cottage.

Hamre familiecamping, Hamresandveien 1, 4656 Hamresanden (9 km east of the town centre), ☎+47 38058787, [11]. Next to Hamresanden, the longest beach in the Kristiansand area.

Kristiansand feriesenter Dvergsnestangen, Dvergsnesveien 571, 4636 Kristiansand (11 km east of the town centre), ☎+47 38041980, [12]. Near the beach and rental boats.

Roligheden camping, Framnesveien 10, 4632 Kristiansand (Only 2 km east of the town centre), ☎+47 38096722. Near the beach and swimming facilities and not far from the town centre.

Accommodation

Hamresanden Resort, 4656 Hamresanden (9 km east of the town centre), ☎+47 38 14 42 80, [13]. At Hamresanden, the longest beach in the Kristiansand area, Hamresanden Resort offers a variety of accommodation, from cabins and tent sites in the summer to all year Apartment Hotel.

For longer stays (2 nights or more) consider renting an apartment, a house or a high quality cabin. Several agencies offer reservations on houses or cabins owned by farmers or other locals. This type of accommodation is frequently more interesting than a standard hotel. Look http://www.norwayguesthouse.com

Also note that the Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement park offers a variety of accommodation services within the park area, Abra Havn[54] and Cardamom Town[55]

Hotels

Sørlandsparken

Aprox. 12 km east of the town centre, close to Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement park and the large shoppingcentre Sørlandssenteret

Down Town

Budget

Mid-range

First Hotel Kristiansand, Droningens gate 66, ☎+47 38125400, [17]. also known by the former names Hotel Fregatten and Hotel Sørlandet

Scandic Hotel Kristiansand, Markensgate 39, ☎+47 21614200 ([email protected], fax: + 47 21614211), [18]. Also in the heart of Kristiansand, nice staff and breakfast is always included in your rate. Bicycles available as well as free Wi-Fi in your room, or you can check your e-mail on one of the three computers in the lobby area for free.

Thon Hotel Wergeland, Kirkegata 15, ☎+47 38172040 ([email protected], fax: +47 38027321), [20]. Situated in the heart of Kristiansand, with the Wergeland Park, the cathedral and the market as its nearest neighbours. The hotel is only one block away from Markens, the most popular shopping street in Kristiansand.

Yess! Hotel, Tordenskjoldsgate 12, ☎+47 38 70 15 70 ([email protected]), [21]. New and modern hotel at a moderate cost. The hotel offers excellent service, premium beds and a healthy breakfast. The hotel is located in the city centre, only a 200m walk fra the bus, train and ferry station. Checkin from 15:00.

Clarion Hotel Ernst, Rådhusgate 2, ☎+47 38 12 86 00, [25]. Recently renovated hotel. It is a modern first class hotel in the heart of the city centre. The hotel was built in 1858 and has long traditions as a hotel. Each room has a characteristic of its own, they may vary in size furnishing and decorations.

Opens 2013

The new Scandic Hotel Kristiansand Bystranda will be the largest hotel in downtown Kristiansand when it opens in spring 2013. The hotel is located on the boardwalk, near the town beach and an indoor water park which is under construction. See images: [56].

Contact

Stay safe

Norway is a fairly safe country in general, and Kristiansand is no exception. Though you might wanna be extra careful at night in weekends, due to an occasional drunk youths stumbling around.

Cope

Kristiansand is nice small city, and almost every Norwegian speaks English more or less fluently. Most people will respond in English to any question you may have. Some Norwegians also speak some German, due to the proximity of the language, and that they study it in school.
VISA and MasterCard are normally accepted in any restaurant, taxi or store. ATMs accept all major credit and debit cards and are available in English language. The currency is Norwegian kroner (crowns).

Get out

Lillesand is a pleasant, sleepy little town 25 minutes' drive along the E18 east of Kristiansand city. The town is consisting of picturesque white wooden houses around a small harbor, which can be quite busy in summer[59]. In june, july and august, you may experience a part of the amazing archipelago Blindleia between Kristiansand and Lillesand by the sightseeing boat MB Øya. Return by bus[60].

Vennesla is a village, 15 km north of Kristiansand, on the banks of the river Otra. The Setesdal Line is a heritage railway and railway museum that runs on the 8 km long, wild and scenic stretch between Grovane and Røyknes stations in Vennesla, sundays in june, july and august[61].

Høllen is an old outport in Søgne municipality, 20 minutes drive along E39 west of Kristiansand. Take a walk in the outport and Åros beach nearby, or try your luck at fishing, and even take the sightseeing boat all year round to the even moore picturesque outport of Ny-Hellesund[62].

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!